Commentary
- Updated: March 2, 2023
Team Inevitable became Team Crowned as Spring Garden’s girls finished the job true to dominant form, and almost without a hiccup
BIRMINGHAM — Spring Garden’s girls had that look as they took the Legacy Arena court Thursday.
About to take position for tipoff in their Class 1A state final against Marion County, star guard Ace Austin flashed a grin that usually precedes her confident public predictions. She stuck out her right hand, and her teammates returned her confident grin as they gave each other five.
This was the day that Team Inevitable would become Team Crowned, and the Panthers knew it.
They’ve known it since October.
All they came to Legacy Arena to do Thursday was finish the job.
“Right before the game, I told these kids that we have been walking in the same shoes since the very first game of the season,” long-time head coach Ricky Austin said. “They just kind of looked at me, but after the first game of the season, I think we immediately started thinking about this game.”
Team Inevitable, indeed, became Team Crowned.
The team that amassed a 36-1 record while naming its score most nights did it again, beating Marion County 62-39.
The team ranked No. 1 in Class 1A did it just like in the semifinals, when Spring Garden handled Loachapoka 62-34.
The Panthers did just like they did to second-ranked Skyline in the Northeast Regional final … 69-47.
The only time they didn’t do it this season came in a 59-53 loss at Class 6A Oxford, and Spring Garden beat Oxford 56-46 at home.
After a two-year bump up to Class 2A, Spring Garden beat all comers in its return to 1A.
The Panthers won their eighth state title with one of Austin’s best teams. They did it with a team that could’ve won the 2A title this season, now that former Pisgah phenom Molly Heard has taken her wide-ranging game to Lipscomb University.
Spring Garden did it with a team that reminded of Woodland teams that won back-to-back 2A titles in 2013 and 2014. The Panthers had a dynamic point guard in Ace Austin, wing shooters in Libby Brown and Kayley Kirk, a post presence in Chloe Rule and Maggie Jarrett as a capable baseline roamer.
Pick your poison from a vast selection.
Like Leah Strain did at Woodland, Austin could and did dominate on the biggest stage, driving against a team determined to stop her then winning the game at the free-throw line.
Like twins Shanna and Shalyn Strain, Kirk and Brown hit threes and otherwise coaxed defenders out to the wings.
Rule and Jarrett were more than capable of handling what came their way.
Maybe Jarrett personified Spring Garden’s edge the most, ripping rebounds away from Marion County players. Diving and rolling on the floor, she kept a loose ball alive against three white jerseys long enough for Rule to get her hands on it and force a tie-up.
The arrow pointed Spring Garden’s way, and it’s pointed at the Panthers all season.
They wore their inevitability like a loose shooting shirt, smiling while Ace Austin twirls a ball on her finger. It showed when they took the court Thursday.
“When we came out on the court, our confidence was real high,” Kirk said. “We knew we couldn’t lose.”
Those who’ve followed Spring Garden’s triumphs in girls’ basketball long enough know not to fall for fool’s gold. It’s tempting, especially in Birmingham.
So often, an opponent from another part of the state looks physically superior in warmups. So often, tirelessly practiced fundamentals, tireless preparation and top-of-the-line coaching win the day.
Ricky Austin knew this team was good enough to allow him to start preparing them for Skyline three weeks out. They’d face three elimination games en route to that matchup, but he didn’t worry about them looking ahead.
It’s all in the rear view now. The journey ended where it should have, and in a manner that speaks to Team Inevitable.
“We felt it every day in practice, and we felt it in every game leading up to this,” Ricky Austin said. “It’s been an honor to walk in the same shoes and same path with these young ladies.”
Cover photo: Spring Garden players celebrate after winning the program’s eighth state title on Thursday in Birmingham. (Photo by Greg Warren)
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